The goal of the proposed research is to examine the prevalence of obesity and the relationship between obesity, muscle strength, and disability among older Mexican Americans in the United States (U.S.) and elders from Latin America and the Caribbean. Very limited scientific information currently exists on cross-national comparisons of obesity, muscle strength, and disability. The rise in prevalence of obesity in the U.S., as well as in less developed countries, has important health and functional implications for older adults. Data will be analyzed from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) an ongoing community-based study of older Mexican Americans aged 65 and older;and data from the SABE (Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento en America Latina y el Caribe) a cross-sectional multicenter survey of representative samples of elderly populations living in seven large cities in Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Uruguay. The specific aims are: 1) to examine the prevalence and correlates of obesity in older Mexican Americans and elders from Latin American and the Caribbean countries;2) to examine the association of obesity and muscle strength with disability in older Mexican Americans and elders from Latin America and the Caribbean countries. We hypothesize: 1) There will be no difference in the prevalence and correlates of obesity in the Hispanic EPESE and each of the six cities included in the SABE database;2) Obesity will be associated with reduced muscle strength in the Hispanic EPESE and each of the six cities included in the SABE database;3) Obesity will be associated with an increased risk of ADL disability in the Hispanic EPESE and each of the six cities included in the SABE database;4)The association between obesity and ADL disability will be mediated through muscle strength (hand grip strength) in the Hispanic EPESE and each of the six cities included in the SABE database. Multiple regression analysis will be used to test the association between obesity and muscle strength. Logistic regression analysis will be used to test the association between obesity and disability risk. Findings from the proposed research will provide useful information to clinicians, researchers, and public health officials regarding the prevalence of obesity and the association between obesity, muscle strength, and disability risk among older Mexican Americans and elders from Latin American and Caribbean countries. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We plan to investigate the prevalence and correlates of obesity and to describe the relationship between obesity, muscle strength, and disability among older Mexican Americans in the United States and elders from Latin America and the Caribbean. The results will provide a better understanding of the association between obesity and disability risk, and the role that muscle strength plays in the relationship between obesity and disability among older adults.